Balloon and method of packaging balloons



April 21, 1953 Y 2,635,834

I BALLOOK'AND METHOD OF PACKAGING BALLOONS Filed Dec 5, 1951 I 2 sHEETs-sHEET 1 WILLIAM F. HUGH (TliORNEY BALLOON AND METHOD 0? PACKAGING BALLOONS Filec i Dec. 5, 1951 2 SlEETS-SHEET 2 FIG. 6

- 'm/vsivr'dfi WILLIAM F. HUGH ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 21, 1953 BALLOON AND METHOD OF PACKAGING BALLOONS William F. Huch, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to General Mills, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application December 5, 1951, Serial No. 259,977

14 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to an improved method of packaging balloons, and more particularly to a packaging method which facilitates the subsequent handling of the balloon during inflation and launching.

One method which has been successfully used for the inflation and launching of high altitude balloons involves the use of a launching platform or other anchoring means which holds down the balloon at an intermediate point between its top and bottom during inflation. Since a balloon at ground level and standard pressures need be only partially inflated in order to provide suilicient lifting gas to completely fill the balloon at higher altitudes, this intermediate anchor point is generally located just far enough from the top of the balloon to permit the desired volume of gas to be inserted in such top portion. The lower portion of the balloon below the anchor point then remains in substantially flat or uninflated condition, until the anchoring means is released and the balloon reaches higher altitudes at which the gas expands to fill the complete balloon body.

Since balloons of this general type are best made of relatively thin gas proof sheet material, they are readily damaged in handling and it is essential that they be properly packaged and protected between the time of their manufacture and the time of launching.

With the above procedures and problems in view, it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved method of packaging for high altitude balloons.

Another object is the provision of an improved balloon container, in which a portion of the -con tain'er serves a useful and important purpose during launching.

Still another object is the provision of a method of packaging in which the balloon is well protected and requires a minimum of handling.

A further object is the provision of a method of packaging balloons in which the uninflated lower portion. of the balloon is enclosed in a tubular or sleeve-like container portion which may be left in place during the initial stages of inflation and launching.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is described.

In the drawings which form a part of this specification, V

Figure 1 is a view, of a fully inflated high altitude balloon of one type for which the present invention is adapted for use.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing one method of inflation of the balloon of Fig. 1 prior to launchmg.-

Fig. 8 is a partial sectional view on the line 3-'-3of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 illustrates the laying out of the balloon according to the first step in the packaging method of the present invention.

Fig. 5 illustrates the initial folding of the balloon of Fig. 4 prior to packaging.

Fig. 6 shows the partially folded balloon of Fig. 5 enclosed in a protective container.

Fig. '7 shows a further step in the packaging process with the protective container and enclosed balloon completely sealed and folded.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the manner in which the improved package of the present invention protects the balloon body during inflation.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-4) of Fig. 8, and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the balloon of Fig. 8 after the inflation has been completed and the anchoring means released.

Figurel illustrates one known type of high altitude balloon 20 having a spherical upper body portion 22 and a conical lower body portion 24. The balloon body includes a plurality of .vertically extending gores 26 which may be seamed to each other at their adjacent edges and provided with load bearing tapes as described in United States Patent 2,526,719, assigned to' the same assignee as the present invention.

At the lower end of the balloon body, load lines 28 connect the balloon to the desired load 30.

Fig. 1 illustrates the balloon in its fully inflated condition as it appears at its maximum or operating altitude.

Fig. 2 illustrates a method of launching the balloon of Fig. l by holding the balloon down at an intermediate point between its top and bottom. For this purpose a launching device or platform 32 is provided. The launching p1atform has one or more pivoted arms 34 and 36 mounted on the platform for rotation at points 38 and 40 .(Fig. 3). Arms .34 and 36 are designed to lie above the major portion of the balloon material at this intermediate point and are locked in position to hold the balloon on the ground until the inflation step is complete and it is desired to launch the balloon and load. The details of the mechanism for locking the arms .34 and 36 in the position of Fig. 3 and for ubs quen ly releasin said arms are omitted from the drawings since they form no part of the present invention.

The balloon is provided with an inflation tube 42 which is normally incorporated in the balloon body during manufacture so that one end 44 of the inflation tube extends into th upper portion of the balloon, i. e., the portion above the intermediate point at which the balloon is an chored. The other end 45 of the inflation tube 42 may be connected to a supply pipe 48 on a container 59 of suitable gas such as helium'or hydrogen. A valve 52 controls the flow of gas from the container 50 through th inflation tube 42 and into the upper portion of the balloon 22. In order that the inflation tube 42 will not be restricted by the launching platform arms 34 and 36, the tube 42 and a suitable fold 54 of the balloon body material may lie above the launching arms as illustrated in Fig. 3.

In the launching method shown in Figs. 2 and 3, considerable handling of the balloon material is required. Thus the balloon ordinarily has been folded into a compact bundle during manufacturing and this bundle must be rolled out on the ground and the launching apparatus assembled as shown in Fig. 2, Because of the nature of the balloon body material, damage to the balloon may occur as the result of such handling and as a further result of contact of the balloon body with the ground. Also, since flights designed for high altitude or longv duration are usually launched early in the morning, the long bottom portion of the balloon body is subjected to the dew or moisture of the ground throughout the inflation period. Attempts to use separate ground cloths or protective coverings for the balloon body during launching have suffered from the disadvantages of extra handling and from the difliculties of manipulating a sufficiently large sheet of material to provide the desired protection. This difficulty is enhanced even during light winds such as are normally encountered during launching periods.

According to the present invention the balloon, at the time of its manufacture, is folded and packaged in a particular manner which facilitates the subsequent application of the above launching technique and provides adequate protection for the balloon during such inflation and launching. Fig. 4 illustrates the flrst'step in the carrying out of this improved method. It shows the balloon 22 laid out in fully extended condition with an inflation tube 42 incorporated in the balloon body and with load lines 28 attached at the lower end. This is the condition of the balloon when the manufacturing process is completed. The point 55 is indicated as the approximate location of the launching platform during subsequent inflation. This location is nearer the upper body portion 22 of the balloon than the lower body portion 24. While the exact location will vary, depending upon the type of balloon and the altitude to which a particular load is to be lifted, one balloon which has been used successfully at altitudes approximating 100,000 feet has a total body length in the uninflated condition of Fig. 4 of approximately 130 feet. In working with such balloons, the launching platform is generally located approximately 40 feet from the top. Other sizes and relative distances will, of course, be appropriate for other applications.

As shown in Fig. 5, the balloon is first partially folded by assembling the upper body portion of the balloon into a compact bundle 58 at the ap-- proximate future location of the launching platform. This preliminary bundling is preferably done by rolling the top of the balloon down to the point in question 01' by making a series of folds in the upper balloon body in such a manner as to exclude air by forcing any entrained air out through the open lower end of the balloon.

The thus partially folded balloon is then enclosed in a flexible container 60 as illustrated in Fig. 6. While this container may take different forms, Fig. 6 illustrates a preferred form in which the container 60 is in the form of a bag having one closed end 62 surrounding the partially folded top portion of the balloon. The other end 64 of the bag is initially open and it will be noted that the main body portion 60 of the bag is long enough to enclose the lower balloon body portion while the latter is fully extended, 1. e., in the condition in which the lower balloon body portion will be laid out during launching. A humidity control unit 65 which may be either a desiccator or a humidifier, depending on the particular material and expected conditions of storage, is inserted in the container with the balloon 20 as shown in Fig. 6. Toassist in preserva: tion of the balloon, air is excluded from the package and a material is used for the containerfifl which is substantially non-permeable to gas. Air is excluded from the container by rolling the container and its enclosed balloon from the closed end 62 toward the open end 64 to form a complete bundle 10 as shown in Fig. 7. The open end of the container 60 is then sealed as shown at B8 and the bundle may be secured in any desired manner as by tie-lines and additional outer wrapping.

Fig. 8 illustrates the manner in which the packaged balloon of Figs. 4 through 7 is laid out for launching according to the technique of Figs. 2 and 3. Here, after the outer wrapping or securing lines have been removed, the balloon and container will be rolled out to substantially the original position of Fig. 6 The closed end 62 of the container will then be cut open and the loose end of material 12 of the container 60 which is thus formed will be folded back to permit insertion of the balloon in the launching apparatus 32. If desired, the free end 12 may beused as a ground cloth beneath the launching apparatus 32 and the upper portion of the balloon which is bundled at 58 for subsequent inflation.

The other end of the container 60 is cut open as indicated by the loose end 14 to permit connection of the end 46 of inflation tube 42 to the gas supply pipe 48. The load 30 is attached to the load lines 28 and the inflation operation can then proceed. It will be noted that the main tubular body portion of the flexible container 6|] is thus left in position beneath and around the entire extended lower body portion of the balloon at 24. Thus the container which protected and enclosed the balloon during the period between its manufacture and its inflation provides a handy protective sheath which keeps dew or other moisture off the lower portion of the balloon body during inflation and which also serves as a ground cloth beneath the balloon to prevent damage to the balloon body by contact with the ground. Fig. 9 illustrates the manner in which the body portion 60 of the container encloses the balloon body portion 20 thus pro-' tecting the individual gores 26 and inflation tube 42 during inflation prior to launching. Fig. 10 illustrates the start of a flight just after the inflation and launching steps have been com- \pleted. After the desired amount of gas has been fed into the upper balloon body portion 22, the inflation tube 42 may be removed from the balloon and the tubularbody portion of-the con tainer 60 slit open. Operation of the launching device 32 then permits the arms 34 and 36 to swing open and thus releases the balloon body portion for upward movement. The bubble of inflation gas in the upper portion of the balloon lifts the balloon and gradually picks up the load 30. As the balloon approaches higher altitudes, the lower external pressure permits expansion of the gas within the balloon body and ultimately fills the balloon to the fully expanded form illustrated in Fig. l. i

Thus, according to the present invention, a method of packaging balloons has been provided which accomplishes the objects set forth at the beginning of this application and protects the balloon not only during transportation and storage prior to inflation and launching, but also during the major portion of the inflation and launching steps themselves. Since minor variations and changes in the exact details of construction will be apparent to persons skilled in this field, it is intended that this invention shall cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the attached claims.

Now, therefore, I claim:

1. The method of packaging balloons for a subsequent launching in which the balloon is to be held down at an intermediat point between its top and bottom during inflation, which method comprises: folding the entire top portion of the uninflated balloon down to the approximate location of said intermediate point, with the remaining lower portion of the balloon extending longitudinally therefrom; enclosing the thus partially folded balloon in a flexible container having a tubular body portion fitting said remaining lower balloon portion while the latter is fully extended; and then folding the container and its enclosed balloon into a compact bundle for intermediate handling.

2. The method of packaging balloons for a subsequent launching in which the balloon is to be held down at an intermediate anchor point between its top and bottom during inflation, which method comprises laying out the uninflated balloon with at least its lower body portion fully extended from the location of said intermediate anchor point to the balloon bottom, enclosing the lower balloon body portion in a flexible container having a tubular body portion fitting said lower balloon body portion while the latter is fully extended, and then folding the container and its enclosed balloon portion into a compact bundle for intermediate handling.

3. The method of packaging balloons for a sub sequent launching in which the balloon is to be held down at an intermediate anchor point between its top and bottom during inflation, which method comprises folding the entire top portion of the uninflated balloon down to said intermediate point, with the remaining lower portion of the balloon extending longitudinally therefrom, completely enclosing the thus partially folded balloon in a flexible gas proof container having a tubular body portion fitting said remaining lower balloon portion while the latter is fully extended, excluding air from the container, and folding the tubular body portion of the container and its enclosed balloon body portion into a compact bundle for further handling.

4. The method of claim 3, in which air is excluded by rolling the container and enclosed balloon upon themselves toward an open end of the container, and "then hermetically sealing said open end. i

5'. The method of packaging balloons for a subsequent launching, which method comprises enclosing a substantial portion of the uninflated balloon in a flexible container having a tubular body in which said balloon portionis longitudinally fully extended, and then folding the con tainer and enclosed balloon into-a smaller compact bundle for further handling.

6. The method of packaging balloons for a subsequent launching in which the balloon is to be held down at an intermediate point between its top and bottom during inflation, which method comprises: partially folding the uninflated balloon by rolling the top portion of the balloon upon itself down to said intermediate point," with the remaining lower portion of the balloon extending longitudinally therefrom; completely enclosing the thus partially folded balloon in a flexible gas proof container having a tubular body portion fitting said remaining lower balloon portion while the latter is fully extended, and then completing the folding of the balloon by rolling the container and enclosed balloon upon themselves into a compact bundle for further handling.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the container is closed at the partially folded upper end of the balloon and initially open at the lower end of the balloon, the folding being completed by rolling the container and balloon upon themselves from the partially folded upper end of the balloon toward the open lower end of the container, inserting a humidity control element within the container, and hermetically sealing the open lower end of the container.

8. In combination, a balloon and a container for same, the balloon having a lower body portion of substantial length and the container having a tubular portion of similar length completely enclosing the lower balloon body portion when the latter is fully extended longitudinally without inflation.

9. A packaged balloon according to claim 8 in which the upper body portion of the balloon is folded upon itself and enclosed within one end of the container.

10. An inflated balloon having its upper portion filled with a predetermined volume of lifting gas, and having a substantial lower portion longitudinally extended within a relatively narrow tubular sleeve, said sleeve enclosing and protecting said lower portion and preventing lateral extension thereof prior to launching.

11. The method of packaging and launching balloons which comprises laying out the uninflated balloon with its lower body portion longitudinally extended, enclosing the balloon in a tubular container which flts the lower body portion when the latter is thus extended, subsequently inflating the upper portion of the balloon by passing a lifting gas through the extended lower portion while the tubular container still encloses the latter, and finally removing the tubular container immediately before the inflated balloon is released.

12. The method of packaging and launching balloons which comprises laying out the uninflated balloon with its lower body portion longitudinally extended, folding th upper body portion of the balloon at one end of said extended lower portion, enclosing the thus partially folded balloon in a tubular container which fits the lower body portion when the latter is extended and which also completely encloses the folded upper balloon portion, completing the packaging of the balloon by folding the container and enclosed balloon upon themselves into a compact bundle for handling and transportation, subsequently unfolding and extending the container and opening it at each end of the extended lower balloon body portion, inflating the upper portion of the balloon by passing a lifting gas through the extended lower portion while the tubular container still encloses the latter, and finally removing the tubular container immediately before the inflated balloon is released.

13. The method of inflating a balloon which comprises confining the folds of the lower section of the balloon within a small area thereby preventing them from being free to be caught by the wind, inflating the upper section of the balloon with a lifting gas by inserting the gas at' the lower end to pass through the confined folds, and releasing the confined folds before releasing the balloon.

14. The method of launching balloons which comprises laying out the uninflated balloon with its lower body portion longitudinally extended, partially enclosing the balloon in a tubular container which fits the lower body portion when the latter is thus extended, subsequently inflating the upper portion of the balloon by passing a lifting gas through the extended lower portion while the tubular container still encloses the latter, and finally removing the tubular container immediately before the inflated balloon is released.

WILLIAM F. HUCH.

No references cited. 

